63 posts categorized "A.J. Pierzynski"

August 26, 2009

BOSTON -White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski will be featured as the "most-hated" player in baseball during a segment in Wednesday's 5 p.m. (CDT) showing of ESPN's SportsCenter.

The segment will show Pierzynski's battles and participation in a wrestling match, as well as the following comments on his distinction:

"I made the top ten most hated athletes(list in GQ), I was number 9 on the list and I was the third baseball player behind Barry Bonds and Curt Schilling, and they have both retired now so I am number 1."

"Ozzie's go to-line on me is, 'If you play against him, you hate him. If you play with him, you hate him a little less. Ozzie's also the same guy that tells me my mom boos me every time she sees me."

The Sox's lineup against Boston knuckleball maven Tim Wakefield features a shakeup, with Jim Thome batting fifth for the first time since May 17. Here are the lineups for both teams:

Q: I took my parents and son to the game (July 31). Several years ago the noise was cranked up way too loud. The last year it's been a bit better. (July 31), it was painful -- my ears still hurt the next morning. (We were in section 107, right field corner.) Is there anything you can do to get them to turn down the volume? For many fans, the place is much less fun -- and we're less likely to go -- because the volume is out of control. -- B. Miller, Chicago

That game was against the Yankees, so I’m sure everything was amped up. I attended a game in mid-July against Baltimore and was surprised by how different the sound is amplified.

Do you have any gripes about the incessant playing of “Everybody Clap Your Hands?” I have nothing against Joshua’s Troop, but they played it 10 times during a doubleheader against Detroit in June.

With the long grind of the regular season, playing nearly every day for six months straight, do teams ever take time to watch game film and review "situational strategy"? It's maddening to see such things as players striking out with a runner on 3rd base with 1 out, swinging at the first pitch from a cold reliever who comes in with the bases loaded, getting gunned down at 3rd base for the first out of the inning, not scoring from 1st base on a double deep into the corner with 2 out, not being able to execute a sacrifice bunt, missing the cutoff man, etc. Some of these blunders are infuriating to watch; I wonder if there is time for the coaches to call out players' mistakes in hopes of correcting them. In contrast to other sports, the stereotype I have of baseball players is that they are playing cards before games and drinking beer in the clubhouse after games, as opposed to studying previous game situations. Consequently the same mistakes get repeated over and over. Perhaps the relentless baseball schedule makes it different from the other sports. What's your take? -- Mark, Dallas

There are on-going evaluations, from immediately after the game through pre-game batting practice. The pre-series scouting meetings are taken more seriously than past years, with Ozzie taking a more active role.

There is accountability, and that’s why the likes of Beckham, Nix and Getz take infield practice more than four hours before a game. It’s also why there is a refresher in fundamentals with outfield and infield practice before batting practice, as well as early bunting practice for selected players.

Some guys play cards and dominoes before games, but they do take early batting practice and look at videotapes of their hitting or an opposing pitcher.

After games, guys are usually getting treatment. It’s a long season, and preventive maintenance is very important during an eight-month season (if you count spring training).

Is there any chance that the Sox will lock Beckham up on a multi-year deal similar to the one the Rays gave last year's rookie of the year, Evan Longoria? Also, how about Pods - does he get another year or more? (These two guys are making the Sox worth watching and keeping some of the heat off Dye-Thome-Konerko so they can perform better). -- John Browning; Flemington, NJ

John, as for Beckham, he won’t be arbitration eligible until at least 2013 (unless he falls in a Super 2 category, which would make him arbitration eligible in 2012). I don’t see the Sox making him a multi-year offer until he moves closer to being arbitration eligible (like Floyd, Danks and Quentin).

As for Pods, I see the Sox assessing the landscape after the season and deciding what’s the best fit. There are certain factors that will go into this, but Pods will help some team next year. He’s playing better and more aggressive than he did in 2005, and I think he’s in better overall shape.

He would like to stay with the Sox, and I think it’s a matter of both sides’ comfort zone.

Do you have any idea how much longer the contract with WCIU runs? I see no reason for it to continue with the fact that the Sox and Cubs both play on WGN, Comcast and Comcast Plus. It's time to drop their weak signal. Also, what are your hearing about the White Sox chances of signing the kid from Cuba, Chapman? Burls, Peavy, Danks, Floyd & Chapman would be sweet starting five. -- Jack

Jack, at least WCIU is an option. Saturday’s game at Oakland won’t be televised because the Athletics don’t seem inclined to move their starting time outside of Fox’s exclusive time slot.

Chapman will become a free agent once he establishes residency outside of the United States. I believe he will surpass the four-year, $32 million contract Jose Contreras received from the New York Yankees.

And I expect another Yankees-Boston battle over Chapman. Peavy, Buehrle, Floyd and maybe Danks will consume most of the money in 2011.

It's been a good year for the Sox and, for my family away from Chicago, your writing has been the key to staying connected. It seems like A.J. is having great season and because of things like Buehrle's masterpiece, Thome's move up the MLB history ladder and Beckham's sensational rookie season, it is mostly under the radar. The Sox need him big in September and you told me earlier this year that they would be sure to give him more rest. Castro has given us about 15 games so far. How much rest will AJ need to be able to continue his productivity? -- Hank Balikov; Moorestown, NJ

Hank, thanks for the kind words.

As for A.J., there might come a time soon when A.J. plays more because he’s been a solid, middle-of-the-order hitter. The Sox have four days off in September, so he might be able to play more.

A.J. has mastered the art of taking what the pitcher gives you and getting hits that extend rallies.

Please tell me that Castro is bringing something to the table that we don't see. He hasn't hit, and he hasn't thrown out baserunners, despite his reputation of being a good defensive catcher. I'm hoping the pitchers like pitching to him much more than they liked pitching to Corky Miller -- so far I haven't seen anything on the field that would justify sending a nice piece of trade bait (Broadway) and getting rid of Miller in exchange for Castro. (I hope his performance over the next 6 weeks makes me look like a fool!) Also, haven't seen much of anything from Kotsay that justifies his presence -- looks comfortable as a defender, but looks totally outclassed at the plate - again, I hope he proves me wrong, but ... although Anderson repeatedly proved he couldn't hit with us, he was a great late inning defender. -- Ron Reichman

Ron, I thought I’d see more production from Castro, but he’s got eight weeks to salvage a bumpy season. He does make a conscious effort to work with the starting pitchers he handles. But he was acquired to bring more offense, and we haven’t seen it yet.

As for Kotsay, I think he’s a valuable pickup. He can give Konerko a break at first, and there’s no drop-off when he plays any of the three outfield positions. He also brings a professional presence to the clubhouse, which is valuable during a division race. At this stage of the season, I’ll take Kotsay over Nick Swisher or Brian Anderson.

Why don`t you start a campaign to get shoeless Joe into the HOF? One of the best ballplayers of all time is being forgotten more and more as time passes. His lifetime ban has expired, so therefore he should be eligible to at least be voted upon. Babe Ruth said he was the greatest player he ever saw. Ted Williams also tried to get him reinstated. Please help this great ballplayer get his due. -- Rich Bryles; Sarasota, FL

I’ll let Blackbetsy.com carry the crusade for Shoeless Joe.

I have no confidence when Jose Contreras takes the mound. Is it time to just outright release him, and give a rookie or Freddy Garcia that spot in the rotation? -- Matt Schaub

Daniel Hudson is next in line to be considered from a promotion from the minors. He was tagged for four earned runs on eight hits in four innings in his Triple-A Charlotte debut on Sunday, but he’s 12-5 with a 2.40 ERA with 144 strikeouts in 127 1/3 innings at four levels this season.

Freddy threw six innings in his last start for Advanced Rookie-Bristol. He could make his next minor league start Tuesday or Wednesday, which could put him in line for a start when the team returns home from its six-game trip.

As for Jose, I’m sure he was a topic of discussion on the flight to Seattle.

July 30, 2009

This wasn't a must-win game, but the White Sox preserved their sanity late Thursday night after pulling out a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees that stretched their resources.

First, closer Bobby Jenks wasn't available because of kidney stones. Matt Thornton struck out Mark Teixeira to bail Gavin Floyd out of a jam in the eighth and struck out the first two batters of the ninth.

Perhaps it was asking too much for Thornton to retire Nick Swisher to end the game in the top of the ninth even though Swisher had struck out three times from the left side and was forced to hit from the right side, where he was batting only .222.

Swisher cranked a game-tying home run, but the Sox responded quickly to win the game in the bottom of the inning and not let the disappointment of the top of the inning fester.

"It shows the resiliency of this club to come back against the best team in baseball," said Gordon Beckham, who extended his hitting streak to seven games and is batting .431 with 11 RBIs in his last 17 games.

Dewayne Wise, who entered the game in the top of the eighth as a defensive replacement, hit a game-winning single with two out in the bottom of the ninth that provided sweet personal redemption.

Wise reinforced the faith of manager Ozzie Guillen with his clutch hit that raised his batting average to .193.

"It's about time I did something positive to help this team win," Wise said after getting his game-winning hit off left-hander Phil Coke.

But Guillen has stood firm behind Wise, who stayed on the roster in favor over the popular but since-departed Brian Anderson when Carlos Quentin came off the 15-day disabled list.

"I'm glad everything has come up pretty nice for him," Guillen said. "It's not easy when people don't want you on the team."

The two other main factors in the Sox's victory were Floyd and A.J. Pierzynski. Floyd suffered another tough no-decision despite equaling a career-high with 10 strikeouts and limiting the Yankees to four hits over 7 2/3 innings.

Floyd's sharp breaking curve helped produce seven called third strikes, as he effectively pinpointed the outside corner of the plate against the Yankees' left-handed hitters.

"My approach is just to be aggressive and make them swing the bat no matter what pitch it is," Floyd said.

Floyd is 4-0 with a 1.61 ERA over his last seven starts at home.

Pierzynski helped the Sox take a 2-1 lead in the seventh with his aggressive play. Pierzynski helped prevent a potential inning-ending double play by sliding hard into second, causing Robinson Cano to sail a throw wide of first base that enabled Jim Thome to score the go-ahead run.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak while moving the Sox to within 2 1/2 games of first-place Detroit in the American League Central. They also are expected to regain the services of Jenks on Friday.

July 27, 2009

MINNEAPOLIS - Catcher A.J. Pierzynski downplayed his dugout argument with shortstop Alexei Ramirez while manager Ozzie Guillen tried not to elaborate on his spiking of a tub of gum Monday night before the third inning of the White Sox's 4-3 loss at Minnesota.

"It happened," Pierzynski said of his spat with Ramirez, which occurred shortly after Pierzynski unsuccessfully tried to nail Alexi Casilla on a steal attempt with Ramirez not being able to handle Pierzynski's throw.

Pierzynski shunned the notion that the Sox are getting edgy after losing four of their past five and losing for the 12th time in their past 14 games at the Metrodome.

"Had nothing to do with anything," Pierzynski said. "Had nothing to do with the way the team is playing. It happened. It's over. We'll move on."

Ramirez left the clubhouse while reporters were talking to Jermaine Dye, who held Ramirez back in the dugout. Dye declined comment on the incident.

Guillen begrudgingly admitted he was upset that two players argued in in plain sight.

"I don’t like my players digging into each other for no reason," Guillen said. "I’m the one that makes those calls, I’m the one that gets into the players’ (rears). I was a little upset about it, but that’s part of the game.

“I was upset with the way we were playing, too, and everything came together in the same inning. I was upset because things like that can't happen. I’m the one that puts the fingers on the players because this is my job, and anybody have a problem with that they know what to do."

The Sox committed two errors in the second that led to two runs before Casilla stole second.

In 2006, pitcher Mark Buehrle and first baseman Paul Konerko had a brief disagreement over holding a runner at first base, and Pierzynski and backup Sandy Alomar Jr. resolved their issues after Alomar was upset at comments Pierzynski made in ESPN The Magazine in which Pierzynski was misquoted.

With the Sox continuing to struggle at the Metrodome, the spat and Guillen's blowup make the Sox's frustration worse than it actually is. But the alarming amount of errors (75) could cost them a realistic shot at the American League Central title.

MINNEAPOLIS -Tensions mounted in the White Sox's dugout after the second inning involving shortstop Alexei Ramirez and catcher A.J. Pierzynski with the Sox trailing 2-1.

Before the inning ended, Alexi Casilla stole second base, with Ramirez covering second but the ball sailing past him. The Sox got out of the inning, but television cameras caught Ramirez and Pierzynski exchanging words.

Moments later, with Pierzynski sitting next to starting pitcher John Danks, manager Ozzie Guillen picked up a bucket of gum and spiked it. The gum scattered in front of the dugout.

Paul Konerko put the Sox ahead 3-2 with a two-run home run in the top of the third.

July 21, 2009

With his job on the line, left-hander Clayton Richard is pitching like a seasoned member of the White Sox's rotation Tuesday night.

Richard has limited Tampa Bay to one run while allowing no walks during a 76-pitch effort through five innings. Richard struck out Willy Aybar and Pat Burrell on fastballs clocked at 96 mph, and he threw a backdoor curve on a 1-2 count to fool B.J. Upton on a called third strike to end the fifth.

Richard entered Tuesday's game with a 5.75 ERA as a starter while walking 28 in 56 1/3 innings. He has won once in his past eight starts but has failed to pitch more than six innings in any of those starts.

Tampa Bay scored its first run off Richard in the third on a singleby Dioner Navarro, a double by Jason Bartlett and a sacrifice fly by Evan Longoria.

But the Sox came back in the fifth on consecutive singles by A.J. Pierzynski and Carlos Quentin, Gordon Beckham's RBI double and Scott Podsednik's RBI groundout to take a 2-1 lead.

July 14, 2009

Here are some statistical comparisons between this year's White Sox team and the 2008 team after the first half, with the 2008 statistics in parentheses. Please note that the Sox played six more games in the first half of 2008:

Record: 45-43 (54-40)

Team batting average .263 (.265)

Team batting average with runners in scoring position with two out: .272 (.192)

July 03, 2009

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -The mood in the White Sox's clubhouse was very business-like following their solving of Zack Greinke in a 5-0 win at Kansas City.

But from a technical standpoint, this was one of the Sox's best games. They didn't swing at too many bad pitches in collecting nine hits in six innings against Greinke, the American League's ERA leader (2.00) who failed to win his 11th game.

Scott Podsednik went 3-for-3 against Greinke and is now 16-for-30 lifetime against him. A.J. Pierzynski hit a home run off Greinke and is now 16-for-37 lifetime (.432) against him.

After getting blanked in 15 previous innings against Greinke this season, the Sox have collected 17 hits in their past 13 innings against him. Alberto Callaspo's two-out error led to two runs in the third, but the Sox took advantage of the miscue. Paul Konerko displayed a wise approach by hitting to the opposite field for an RBI double to cap the rally.

In winning their seventh consecutive game, the Sox are 42-38 with one game left before reaching the halfway point in the season.

Considering that they've played for 5 1/2 weeks without slugger Carlos Quentin, the Sox have to be feeling better about their chances of catching American League Central leader Detroit as long as they don't suffer any more injuries, employ a workmanlike approach against opposing pitchers and receive enough quality innings from their starters.